California students sue over trans athlete policy
Three current and former Jurupa Valley High School players — Hadeel Hazameh, Alyssa McPherson and former player Madison McPherson — sued the Jurupa Unified School District, the California Interscholastic Federation and the California Department of Education on Sept. 9, alleging religious objections and a school-created hostile environment over the district’s policy allowing a transgender athlete to play on the girls’ volleyball team. Since the filing, at least eight California teams have reportedly forfeited matches to Jurupa Valley — including Riverside Poly, Rim of the World, Orange Vista, A.B. Miller, and more recently Aquinas, Yucaipa and San Dimas at the Sept. 13 Freeway Games (with Patriot High confirming a Sept. 26 intra‑district forfeit) — according to school reports and MaxPreps.
📰 Sources (3)
- At least eight California high school volleyball teams have now forfeited matches to Jurupa Valley High School (article gives updated count).
- Patriot High School (in the same Jurupa Unified School District) confirmed it will forfeit a Sept. 26 match to Jurupa Valley — cited as the first intra‑district forfeit.
- Detailed list of recent forfeits including three at the Freeway Games (Sept. 13) and earlier forfeits by Riverside Poly, Rim of the World, Orange Vista and AB Miller.
- Direct quotations and language from the plaintiffs’ lawsuit outlining religious objections and alleging school‑created hostility toward those raising objections.
- Three additional schools — Aquinas High School, Yucaipa High School, and San Dimas High School — forfeited to Jurupa Valley at last weekend’s Freeway Games tournament, per a plaintiff’s parent and The Press-Enterprise.
- MaxPreps shows Jurupa Valley was awarded a Sept. 13, 2025 forfeit win over Yucaipa High School.
- These are the first reported forfeits since the Sept. 9 lawsuit by three current/former Jurupa Valley players against JUSD, CIF, and CDE; combined with earlier forfeits (Riverside Poly, Rim of the World, Orange Vista, A.B. Miller), at least seven teams have now forfeited this season.
- Plaintiffs include students Hadeel Hazameh and Alyssa McPherson (and former player Madison McPherson) from Jurupa Valley High School.
- Defendants named: Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD), California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), California Department of Education (CDE).
- Four schools have reportedly forfeited to Jurupa Valley this season; Riverside Poly publicly confirmed a forfeit in August.